The Missing
by emperorsjudgement
Summary: We follow the events unfolding in the underhive of Algol Prime the largest hive on planet Algol.
1. The Missing

Detective Bolsinger aboard a Rhino transport heading through the underhive

It was one of the last places Detective Horace Bolsinger wished to be, where it could be said that the rule of law was only kept in the loosest sense of the word for he was travelling through the bowels of the underhive of Algol Prime. It was not uncommon for personnel of the Adeptus Arbites to be present in the underhive but it would be more common for Enforcers, Judges or even full blown execution squads to combat the Hive Gangs who really ran the underhive. It was exceedingly rare for a detective to be sent into the underhive, crimes were rife but it was rare for them to be reported for fear of street justice and reprisals.

Detective Bolsinger sat in the hold of his personnel Rhino armoured transport as it made its way through the toxic fog banks that swallowed the ramshackle streets of the underhive. For anyone not native to the underhive the presence of a Rhino armoured transport would seem like overkill for a police force to utilize as a patrol vehicle, but for the locals they knew a Rhino was needed and some areas of the underhive utilized Predator tanks as patrol vehicles for the Hive Gangs could field fearsome weaponry themselves.

The detective felt ill at ease being in the underhive in the first place but he felt even more uneasy at the fact that he was going in practically blind. All his captain could tell him was that he was to speak to the Foreman of the Rostovik Lasgun factory in the Valeka sector of the underhive. Feeling in the dark Detective Bolsinger pressed Captain Trake for more information but there was none to be had, except that the orders had come down from on high and had to be followed.

It was likely that the Foreman or more likely the owner of the factory knew a senior adept in the upper hive or even the Lord Marshall of the Adeptus Arbites. In the end it mattered not for the orders were handed down and were now Detective Bolsinger's to carry out. The detective just hoped it was something cut and dry but something in the detectives gut told him it wouldn't be and quite frankly the lack of intelligence was sketchy at best. Since Detective Bolsinger didn't know what he was heading into he was preparing for the worst in the was bringing with him nine Adeptus Arbites troopers in case they were heading into danger.

'We are nearing the outer edges of the factory.' Said the Rhino's driver, over the vox. 'ETA three minutes.'

'Very well.' Voxed Detective Bolsinger. 'Apprise me when we are at the main building.'

After several moments the Rhino halted, no doubt the driver was talking to the guards protecting the factory, it was evident that this was the case as after a moment more the Rhino was on the move again. Detective Bolsinger had another fifteen minutes to contemplate what could necessitate a detective to visit a Lasgun factory in the underhive, sure enough there could be heated trade disputes between factories but nothing in his mind would necessitate a police presence.

The Rhino ground to a halt once more, the driver voxed. 'We are at the main building.'

A trooper triggered the slide door latch of the Rhino's crew compartment and in rushed noxious fog and the unmistakable sound of heavy industry. The troopers did not move they looked to Detective Bolsinger for orders, as they were similarly in the dark as he was. Detective Bolsinger was presented with a problem as he didn't know how many troopers to take with him, he looked out of the Rhino there didn't seem to be any immediate danger.

Detective Bolsinger decided to play it safe, he pointed three troopers. 'You, you and you come with me, the rest of you wait for my signal.'

Detective Bolsinger exited the Rhino's crew compartment and was first greeted with the acrid stink of industry and the troopers followed in his wake. Detective Bolsinger was in the shadow of a colossal factory building, the Rhino was parked outside a gargantuan open blast door. Milling in and around the blast door were factory workers their interest seemed to have piqued with the unexpected sight of Adeptus Arbites in their midst.

Detective Bolsinger approached one of the workers an elderly man in drag coveralls. 'I need to find your Foreman.'

The factory worker held up a gloved hand and pointed into the factory building. 'He is in there look for the orange high visibility vest.'

Detective Bolsinger nodded his thanks then gestured for the three troopers to follow him into the factory, they entered the factory and the sounds increased twice fold with heavy machinery stamping out Lasgun parts on an assembly line. After ten minutes of searching the assembly line he found the Foreman overseeing a gaggle of workers, the Foreman looked his way and made his way over.

'I am Detective Bolsinger.' Bellowed the detective, over the din of the factory.

'Thank you for coming, I am Foreman John Milvain.' Shouted the Foreman. 'It's loud in here please follow me to my office.'

The Foreman led Detective Bolsinger and the three troopers further into the factory then up a flight of stairs and into a prefabricated building that was the Foreman's office. The office was organised chaos with papers and empty caffeine cups strewn across the Foreman's desk.

'Like I say I am glad you have come.' Said Foreman Milvain, he gestured to a drinks cabinet. 'Can I interest you gentlemen in a glass of amasec?'

'Not while on duty thanks.' Replied Detective Bolsinger, in truth he could do with a drink but he didn't want to stay in the underhive for a minute more than he had to. 'Can we cut to the chase Foreman Milvain, how can the Adeptus Arbites be of service?'

'Quite, quite.' The Foreman poured himself a glass of amasec. 'I hope you don't mind me having one, I am on a triple shift, that's why you are here in fact.'

'I am sorry I already have a job.' Quipped Detective Bolsinger.

Foreman Milvain laughed dryly. 'No I am not about to try and recruit you but I will have to recruit new men, that's why you are here I have men missing.'

Detective Bolsinger's shoulders sagged. 'You have people missing from your shift?' The detective gestured to the three troopers. 'Then I suggest you take it up with your human resources department instead of involving the police.'

'You don't think I've tried that already.' Replied Foreman Milvain. 'I am down thirty two men over three shifts and not to mention three charge hands and a shift runner.'

'I appreciate that this must make things difficult but I fail to see how that is of a police matter.'

'They are missing persons.' Replied Foreman Milvain, he took a sip of his amasec. 'They aren't playing hookie I have spoken to most of their families most have disappeared without a trace and it's not just here at the Rostovik factory. I have been speaking with the Foremen of nearby factories and they are reporting similar missing persons.

'I am not blind to the fact that this is the underhive and people go missing all the time due to all manner of reasons not to mention the Hive Gangs but some of the missing men I've known for years, they are good solid family men they haven't missed a day of work in years. Most of them have been reported missing to the Adeptus Arbites but I doubt a link would be forthcoming unless it was looked at from the ground level.'

'I don't see a link except some men have failed to turn up for work.' Stated Detective Bolsinger, he was starting to lose patience.

'It's not like they've just missed one day.' Persisted Foreman Milvain. 'Some of these guys have been missing for over a week, they've not been home to their families or been seen by their colleagues this is a serious matter and I was assured by your captain that you would take this matter seriously. The owner of the Rostovik factory spoke with Lord Marshall Uxbridge himself.'

Detective Bolsinger sighed inwardly he knew that this had come down from on high and he knew it would bite him on the ass if he didn't handle the matter properly. 'Very well, Foreman Milvain, I assume you can give me a list of the missing men.'

'Certainly.' Replied the foreman, while leafing through files on his desk he picked one up and handed it to the detective. 'That is a list of all the missing men, there contact details and home addresses, some of them are hab blocks near here.'


	2. Shadows in the Mist

Detective Bolsinger aboard his Rhino transport

It was four days into Detective Bolsinger's investigation, four days in the underhive, four days of interviewing witnesses and a pattern of sorts was emerging, every one of the missing persons seemed to have dropped from the surface of Algol. What was even more perplexing was that during his investigation an additional three men had gone missing from the Rostovik factory, they too had disappeared seemingly without a trace. The missing men seemed to be a cross section of the underhive, some of them were heavy drinkers, gamblers but for the most part Foreman Milvain was right they seemed to be good solid family men which for Detective Bolsinger was a headache as there was no good reason for these men to go missing.

Detective Bolsinger was halfway through his list and was turning up nothing and getting nowhere fast, therefore he was going to change tack and use good old fashioned police work, he would talk to the missing men s colleagues. At first Detective Bolsinger was going to formally interview the workmen but he decided against it, he had always found that people tensed in formal situations, therefore he would speak to the men in one of their local haunts. Detective Bolsinger was aboard his personnel Rhino transport heading to a tavern The Ox and Grox which straddled the outbuildings of the Rostovik factory, this being a place where a lot of the working men frequented.

If they were not in the underhive Detective Bolsinger might have gone into the tavern alone or even in plain clothes but the risk from Hive Gangers was too great. Therefore he was forced to go into the tavern in full carapace armour, armed with a shotgun and power maul, plus he wouldn't be alone he would have back up if needed. It was inevitable that the Adeptus Arbites would garner some unwanted attention but Detective Bolsinger kept drawing blanks with the missing persons, therefore this was the next best thing.

The Rhino ground to a halt and Detective Bolsinger triggered the slide door in the crew compartment, he looked to the nine troopers inside. 'You stay here, if I give the signal you come in guns drawn.'

With that Detective Bolsinger took a deep breath and stepped from the Rhino out into the fog, The Ox and Grox was a single story plasteel building that had seen better days, as had the sign, the "R" was missing from Grox. Standing outside the tavern near a stand of motorcycles were two men and a woman smoking lithosticks, whom immediately turned to regard him. They wore biker leathers but did not seem to be Hive Gangers as the detective couldn't see gang colours or insignia.

'Evening.' Said Detective Bolsinger through the vox grill of his full faced helmet.

The trio muttered something that equated to a greeting then got back to their smoking.

Detective Bolsinger paused for a moment he looked to the still open crew compartment of his Rhino and the troopers inside, then back to the tavern he made up his mind he was going in alone. Detective Bolsinger slid the armoured door closed then turned around –he made sure his shotgun was loaded then slung it over his shoulder.

The detective walked the fifteen yards from the Rhino to the taverns door, just before he could push the door open someone from the other side opened the door, letting out metal music from inside.

A haggard looking woman, perhaps a lady of the night, blinked quickly as if surprised then with a crooked smile said. 'Boy you sure picked the wrong place.' Then without so much as another word she sauntered of into the fog.

Detective Bolsinger turned back around to the tavern door which was just closing, he pushed on the door to open it again, the detective didn't even manage to step inside the threshold before all hell broke loose.

'Come and get me, Arbite scum!' yelled someone near the door of the tavern, a metal table was flipped over, shattering drinks across the floor. 'You won't take me alive.'

Detective Bolsinger didn't have a chance to even see the man who shouted, let alone explain why he was there and that he didn't know who the hell this man was, as the man sheltering behind the upturned table began to unload a stub gun in the direction of the tavern door.

The detective hunkered on the other side of the plasteel wall, while the three smokers scattered and ran for their lives. Detective Bolsinger was sure they counted six shots fired, he then charged into the tavern as he was sure the man was empty.

Detective Bolsinger racked the pump action slide of the shotgun as soon as he was across the threshold of the door and unloaded a shell at the upturned table which peppered it with buckshot. The detective was about to rack another shell into the breach when his assailant, an obvious Hive Ganger, rose sharply to take another shot, not having enough time to reload Detective Bolsinger hit the Ganger in the jaw with the butt of the shotgun breaking it with a dry snap –the Ganger dropped like a stone sprawling to the floor in a heap of limbs.

Detective Bolsinger racked another shell into the barrel of the shotgun then scanned around the bar looking for more targets, he saw several patrons scatter for the exit tipping over tables and chairs in their wake with the crash of broken glasses.

The detective scanned around the room then settled on the bar itself, behind it was the bearded and heavily tattooed barkeep who was holding up his hands in surrender. 'I don't want any trouble.'

'Neither do I.' managed the detective, gesturing to the prone Ganger on the floor. 'I am not after him, I don't even know who he is.'

'He is from the Blood Skullz Gang.' Said the barkeep, with his hands still raised.

'I really don't care.' Replied Detective Bolsinger, he gestured to the barkeeps hands. 'You can lower your hands.'

'I will lower them if you lower that.' Stated the barkeep, meaning the detectives shotgun.

Detective Bolsinger lowered his shotgun. 'Fair point, but like I say I wasn't after the Ganger.'

'I really don't care.' Said the barkeep, echoing the detective. 'I just don't want any trouble.'

'I am here on official Adeptus Arbites business.' Stated Detective Bolsinger, while lowering the shotgun. 'I assume you are familiar with the Rostovik Lasgun factory.'

'Yes, sir.' Said the barkeep, while lowering his hands. 'Most of our clientele come from the factory, aside from Hive Gangers that is.'

'Evidently.' Replied Detective Bolsinger, while taking a look at the prone ganger on the floor. 'There has been reports of workmen from the Rostovik factory as well as other factories in the area go missing, have you heard anything similar?'

'Yes, sir.' Said the barkeep. 'There's been talk of all them going missing, some of them went missing last night from here.'

'Is there any theories as to where they've gone?'

'Well when they first started to go missing.' Replied the barkeep, he pointed to the prone Ganger. 'We figured it was some of his ilk but the Hive Gangers are messy, they are a law unto themselves for the most part, they leave bodies on the street as a calling card and a message to others, by all accounts these men went missing into thin air.'

'That seems to be the case.' Stated Detective Bolsinger. 'People will speak with their barkeep before they speak to an Arbite, has anyone spoke of anything out of the ordinary.'

'In the underhive?' quipped the barkeep, with a grin. 'Well I don't know how far our inebriated clientele can be trusted but people have been spooked by shadows in the mist.'

'Shadows in the mist?' enquired Detective Bolsinger.

The barkeep shrugged his shoulders. 'That's all the keep saying shadows being seen in the fog of the underhive stalking people from street to street.'

'That's nothing much to go on.' Muttered Detective Bolsinger, mostly to himself.

'That's all I have.' Shrugged the barkeep again.

'Fair enough, thanks for your time.' Detective Bolsinger about turn, he kicked the Ganger in the head as he began to stir.

Detective Bolsinger left the tavern and opened the crew door of the Rhino. 'Where the hell was my backup?'

'You didn't give the signal.' Muttered one of the troopers.


	3. Now how about that drink?

It was two weeks into the case and Detective Bolsinger had nearly exhausted the list of missing persons, he was getting nowhere and people were still going missing. Therefore the detective was thinking out of the box, for the last two days he had been working in plain clothes as a factory worker, he was utterly alone with no troopers for backup or his personal Rhino for transport. Detective Bolsinger had moved into one of the missing men's domicile in a hab block near to the Rostovik Lasgun factory and for two days he had been working twelve hour shifts on the assembly line stamping out rifle stocks using a machine press.

Besides it being back breaking work from standing in one place, he had been accepted as a new colleague and invited to The Ox and Grox for drinks, which he accepted as no one in the tavern saw his face. Aside from being good drinking buddies his colleagues could offer no more information than the barkeep of the tavern as they too spoke about the shadows in the mist, in the last two days another colleague had gone missing, the workforce were so spooked that they were travelling everywhere in pairs or in groups.

There were paranoid whispers of a deranged serial killer or mutants on the loose in the underhive, then there was an even darker theory whispered amongst the drunk workers in The Ox and Grox of a possible Chaos Cult being formed in the very underbelly of Algol Prime. Whilst Detective Bolsinger couldn't dismiss any of these theories due to lack of evidence but none of these theories held much water due to the same lack of evidence. If there was a serial killer there would be bodies found and the same would go if there was a mutant, as Detective Bolsinger had investigated mutant and serial killers before and the evidence was gruesome and everywhere.

Detective Bolsinger could not thus far rule out the formation of a Chaos Cult and he had not investigated one before, but from what he knew there seemed to be no calling cards, such as sacrificial offerings or chaotic sigils daubed in blood to instil fear. Detective Bolsinger could not discount the taint of chaos, as on some planets the taint of chaos could creep in from the shadows and grow behind the front of some official organisation such as a trade union or other such organisation –but these would normally not grow from the gutter of the underhive. Therefore Detective Bolsinger would live the life of a factory worker until evidence presented itself or he was taken off the case.

Detective Bolsinger silently rejoiced when he heard the sweet sound of the horn announcing that it was quitting time, so he could retire to his dingy hab block domicile for another night. Detective Bolsinger turned off the machine press and began making his way towards the factory buildings exit.

'Hey Horace!' yelled one of the workers named Bill, from behind Detective Bolsinger. He hadn't adopted a professional pseudonym for ease. 'Are you going to the Grox?'

Detective Bolsinger shook his head. 'Not tonight, Bill.'

For the last two nights the detective had gone to the tavern to talk to the workers but aside from a hangover the next day he had little else to show for his trouble.

'Who you walking home with then?' asked Bill.

'On my own.' Replied Detective Bolsinger

'On your own?' asked Bill, incredulously. 'Well it's your funeral.' Bill then wandered off in search of a new drinking buddy.

It was not lost on Detective Bolsinger hat there was a risk walking home by himself in the fog but that was the point in the endeavour, the detective exited the factory and into the perpetual night he was putting himself at risk to see if there was any truth in the in the drunken rumours of the shadows in the mist.

As Detective Bolsinger walked through machine press, he had not figured into the picture about human trafficking, throne knew that it was rife in Algol Prime not to mention the entire Imperium of man, these men could be abducted as a source of cheap labour. The detective made a mental note to check with Foreman Milvain when he went back to work the next day, it might be a long shot but at the moment he was clutching at straws.

Detective Bolsinger was now out of the factory complex and making his way through the fog towards the beginning of the hab blocks when he could have sworn he felt eyes upon him, that unmistakeable feeling that someone was watching him. The detective walked on seemingly unaware, inside he fought the feeling to turn around, it may well be another factory worker, but if it wasn't then he didn't want to spook his assailant.

The detective walked for another two hundred metres he then decided to look behind him, as he did so his pulse quickened as he saw a shadow fifteen feet behind him shrouded in the fog, it could be a colleague going home so Detective Bolsinger carried on as normal. The detective reached the first hab block, he looked behind him and the shadow was still there at the same distance. Therefore Detective Bolsinger took a left turn around a corner into the hab block into the hab block residential complex to see if the shadow followed, sure enough it followed him around the corner, while quickening his pace the detective made three more left turns bringing him full circle and the shadow followed him.

At first Detective Bolsinger silently rejoiced having evidently baited his quarry after two weeks of fruitless police work, but then he realised too late that he may have baited his quarry but he was the bait. The detective may be an Adeptus Arbite but here he was in plain clothes walking in circles around hab blocks in thick fog, he had no shotgun or Rhino transport with troopers for backup, he didn't even have his power maul. True enough the detective was trained in hand to hand combat but this person or thing, whatever it was had abducted dozens of burly factory workers without anyone seeing anything. Detective Bolsinger's pulse quickened when he turned around to see that the shadow.

Detective Bolsinger knew he needed a plan quickly for the shadow was making its move, as it must know that he was onto it as it had just followed him in a complete circle around the hab block. The way the detective saw it he had two choices he could confront the shadow now and force a confrontation but he risked scaring it off, or getting himself killed. Detective Bolsinger came up with a second option, one that he would take, he would set a trap for his quarry, he picked up the pace to sell the idea that he was spooked. The detective closed with one of the hab blocks then when he was ten metres from the entrance foyer he darted for the double doors, through the dead of night he heard footsteps behind him even over the sound of his own beating heart.

Detective Bolsinger didn't enter the foyer instead he abruptly changed direction turning right his aim was to run around the side of the hab block, which he did with the shadow still on his heels. Detective Bolsinger made it around the corner and there he waited in a crouched fighting stance with fists balled ready to pounce. Over the sound of his quick pulse and beating heart he heard the shadow close in on his position. Then at the last second before the shadow rounded the corner Detective Bolsinger pounced and sent a thundering right cross at the shadow, which caught the factory worker Bill in his nose breaking it with a welter of blood.

Bill sprawled to the ground clutching the ruination of his nose with his hands covered in blood.

'Bill I am so sorry.' Said Detective Bolsinger, while going to his knees to assist Bill. 'I thought it was the shadow coming for me.'

'I wish it bloody well was now.' Countered Bill, after spitting up blood from his mouth onto the ground. 'I was sure I saw the shadow follow you when you left the factory so I decided to give chase.

'I thought I was on top of it when you entered the hab block complex but I must have scared it off, I thought I found it again running for the foyer but it turned out to be you.'

'Did you get a good look at it?' asked Detective Bolsinger. 'It's important that you tell me, I am not a new colleague I am an Adeptus Arbite, I am undercover trying to get to the bottom of these disappearances.'

'An undercover Arbite in the factory.' Muttered Bill, forgetting his bleeding nose for the moment. 'The higher ups are taking the missing men seriously then.'

'Yes they are.' Pressed Detective Bolsinger. 'The Lord Marshall himself has been informed about your plight, so I say again did you get a good look at the shadow in the mist?'

Bill shook his head. 'All I saw was a shadow.'

'Did you get an impression of its size, Bill.' Asked Detective Bolsinger.

'I can't say for sure, as I didn't get up close with it.'

'You're not under any kind of oath.' Pressed Detective Bolsinger. 'I just need to know if you got an impression of how big it was, was it the size of me or the size of an Ork?'

'I ain't never seen no greenskin before.' Mused Bill, his brow furrowed in thought. 'If I was pressed I would have to say it was the size of you but that's only guessing mind you.'

'That will do for now.' Detective Bolsinger looked around the immediate area there wasn't a sign of the shadow, he then offered Bill his hand. 'Now how about that drink.'


End file.
